Table 1 Basic characteristics of the study population
From: Higher frailty burden in older adults with chronic constipation
Without chronic constipation (n = 1141) | With chronic constipation (n = 136) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
Age, years | 75.1 ± 6.2 | 77.1 ± 6.3 | .001 |
Men | 472 (41.4%) | 49 (36.0%) | .231 |
Education level, years | 6.1 ± 3.7 | 5.0 ± 3.2 | .001 |
Monthly income < USD 500, n (%) | 52 (4.6%) | 8 (5.9%) | .490 |
Body mass index, kg/m2 | 25.1 ± 3.5 | 25.1 ± 3.6 | .896 |
Multimorbidity | 560 (49.1%) | 85 (62.5%) | .003 |
Hypertension | 692 (60.7%) | 93 (68.4%) | .080 |
Diabetes | 253 (22.2%) | 40 (29.4%) | .058 |
Malignancy | 76 (6.7%) | 15 (11.0%) | .061 |
Myocardial infarction | 52 (4.6%) | 11 (8.1%) | .072 |
Polypharmacy | 239 (21.0%) | 47 (34.6%) | < .001 |
Cognitive dysfunction | 292 (25.6%) | 45 (33.1%) | .061 |
Depression | 77 (6.8%) | 12 (8.8%) | .369 |
Fall history in the past year | 39 (3.4%) | 6 (4.4%) | .552 |
Risk of malnutrition | 410 (35.9%) | 64 (47.1%) | .011 |
ADL disability | 317 (27.8%) | 42 (30.9%) | .447 |
IADL disability | 230 (20.2%) | 36 (26.5%) | .087 |
CHS frailty scale score | 1.3 ± 1.1 | 1.8 ± 1.1 | < .001 |
CHS frailty phenotype | < .001 | ||
Robust | 329 (28.8%) | 15 (11.0%) | |
Pre-frail | 653 (57.2%) | 85 (62.5%) | |
Frail | 159 (13.9%) | 36 (26.5%) | |
Component of CHS frailty phenotype | |||
Exhaustion | 145 (12.7%) | 25 (18.4%) | .088 |
Low activity level | 285 (25.0%) | 58 (42.6%) | < .001 |
Slowness | 389 (34.1%) | 80 (58.8%) | < .001 |
Weakness | 548 (48.0%) | 74 (54.4%) | .188 |
Weight loss | 66 (5.8%) | 6 (4.4%) | .646 |
Self-reported constipation | 236 (20.7%) | 88 (64.7%) | < .001 |
Use of stool softener or laxatives | 85 (7.4%) | 47 (34.6%) | < .001 |